Research interests

My main research interest is on physical and bio-geochemical climate feedbacks and their role in affecting future climate change. The question of quantifying and constraining projection uncertainty is a central aspect of my work, with a current focus on the size and dynamics of the permafrost-carbon feedback.

In my work I investigate which constraints prove especially promising in putting effective bounds on climate sensitivity - such as information stemming from paleo data archives (e.g. the reconstructed cooling during the last glacial maximum, LGM, 21kyrs B.P.).

Permafrost-carbon feedbacks

How strongly will permafrost degradation affect future global temperature rise and atmospheric greenhouse gas levels? What role do methane emissions play for the strength of the permafrost-carbon feedback?

For investigating these aspects of uncertainty in the terrestrial carbon cycle I developed a new and simplified module which calculates the thawing of permafrost and subsequent decomposition of soil carbon. This module was coupled to MAGICC-6, an efficient climate-carbon cycle model which allows running large ensembles for scenario-based probabilistic climate predictions.

Climate stability (risk of Runaway Climate)

Given current knowledge about physical and bio-geochemical feedbacks in the climate system: is there a non-negligible risk that the sum of these feedbacks might increase in a worst case scenario such that a self-amplified warming of the Earth-climate system will result (for a limited temperature regime)?

Communication of climate change science

In 2012 I worked in a project which aims at developing new formats for better communicating climate science to the public. (Link to our pilot project, in which we worked with young students: www.aufgeheizt.org )